As we experience the many situations in business and life we have two choices:
1. Assume we know what’s going on
2. Always be curious and see if there’s something for us to learn
When I was younger, I was very confident and thought I had all the answers. That over-confidence and false bravado probably helped me power through lots of difficult times.
However, when we are over-confident, we sometimes deprive ourselves of great learning opportunities.
When a customer doesn’t give us the order, it’s easy to assume we know why. But when we approach the situation with curiosity, questions, and active listening, we can sometimes discover a unique viewpoint of the customer that could help us in our future relationship.
When an employee doesn’t perform the way we expect, it’s easy to assume we know why. But when we approach the situation with curiosity, questions, and active listening, we can sometimes discover a unique viewpoint of the employee that could help us work better together with that employee in the future.
Always be curious. Ask more questions. Actively listen and observe. Learning and improving begins with curiosity.
To borrow a line from a beer commercial, “Stay curious my friends.”
